Friends
by InkHeart4112
Summary: The Perfs control the cliques at Brewster High. They make sure everyone stays within their group and only interacts with the people in their popularity rank. So, you can imagine their horror when new girl Stevie forms a friendship and band with people from different types of cliques, including: An outsider, a percussion geek, a science nerd, and a jock. But hey, that's high school.
1. The One With The New Girl

**A/N: **Hey, guys! So, this is a story I've been thinking about for quite a long time. I know I'm juggling about two other stories right now, but I honestly had such a strong idea for this. I get ideas just about everyday, but this one really stuck in the back of my mind. I don't think it's similar to anything I've ever written before, so I'm a bit scared about what you guys think. Hope you enjoy!

**I do not own How to Rock or any references mentioned. **

[Stevie]

As soon as Chris parks his rusty truck in front of Brewster High, I take off my seatbelt and lean back in my seat, taking in the new school.

He runs his hand through his hair and says, "Listen, Steves. I know you're upset about the move, but I promise that you're really going to like it here. It's not as sunny or warm as LA was, but New York is great. You just need to embrace your surroundings."

I pick my bag up from the car floor, sling it over my left shoulder, and reply, "Chris, most of these kids have been friends since elementary school. I'm going to be the freaky new girl that just waltzed into their perfect little lives three months into the school year."

He rolls his eyes and responds, "New state, new school, new beginning. Learn to love it, darling, 'cause this is your life until you're eighteen, and that's another two years."

I sigh and mumble, "Yeah, whatever. See you at four o'clock."

I open the car door and hop out, my combat boots making a thud against the concrete. I shut the door, grab my ukulele case from the truck bed, and keep a firm grip on it's handle with my right hand. With one last glance back to Chris, I start walking up to the school. By my fifth step, I hear the tires of his car speed away.

"_Who's the charity case?"_

"_Why's her guitar so small?"_

"_I think that's Chris Baskara's mistake-by-the-lake sister."_

I quietly snort at all the whispering and chatting around me. When I enter the school building, I take off my sunglasses with my free left hand and put them on top of my fedora hat.

I mentally groan and mutter, "Welcome to the apocalypse that is high school."

* * *

I stop in front of locker A110, set my ukulele case on the tile floor, and open the locker with the combination written on my hand. I set my case, sunglasses, and bag into it. Once I shut my locker, I check my ocean blue watch.

_8:13_

Twenty-seven minutes before first period. I sigh, slide my hands into the back pockets of my skinny jeans, and start walking down the hall. After I turn into the next hall, girls at their lockers and jocks lingering against the walls turn their attention towards me.

Some girl in a black dress with white polka dots, a red belt, and red heels teases, "Look, it's Brewster's new Wednesday Adams. All hale the freak."

Snickers fill the awkward silence of the hall. I roll my eyes and continue walking, ignoring all the stares and whispers and laughs. Getting fed up, I walk out the next exit I see, which leads me to a courtyard. I look around, trying to find an empty table. Fortunately, an orange table in the corner closest to the entry is vacant. I waltz over to it, sit down at the middle of the bench, and slam my forehead to the table.

"Rough first morning?"

I lift my head and look to my left, only to see a girl in a purple sun dress with a genuine sympathetic look. I nod for a response.

She sits down to the left of me while saying, "Believe me, I've been there. I was the new kid last month."

She happily smiles and greets, "I'm Kacey Simon."

This girl might not be that bad. I grin back and reply, "Stevie Baskara."

She folds her arms over the table and questions, "So, what's your story?"

Figuring that she means how I ended up here, I shrug and answer, "I got in a fight at my old school, so my parents kicked me out and shipped me off to live here with my brother."

Her bright smile immediately drops, and her mouth forms into an 'O' shape. I chuckle, snapping her out of her thoughts.

A look of realization hits her, and Kacey asks, "Wait, is your brother Chris Baskara, the owner of that car shop?"

I nod. Kacey puts a hand over her heart and gushes, "He is so cute!"

I scrunch up my nose and state, "Okay, didn't need to hear that from my first friend."

She laughs, "Hey, let me introduce you to the cliques of Brewster."

She extends her right arm and points across the courtyard. I turn to where her finger is pointing and see an orange table, identical to ours, seated by six people in band uniforms looking over sheet music. Two are holding trumpets, one is holding a french horn, two are holding flutes, and the last one is holding a trombone.

Putting her arm down, Kacey says, "Those are the band geeks. They're, like, totally obsessed with their music and instruments. They're always lugging them around and stuff."

My attention drops from the trombone player to a guy sitting on the ground beside the table. He's banging a pair of drumsticks on the concrete to some alternative rock song, so I assume that he's a percussionist. Instead of wearing the same band uniform as the others, he has on red skinny jeans and a black shirt with a green Furious Pigeon on it.

I tilt my head and, while still staring at him, ask, "Who's the guy on the ground?"

"Oh, that's Kevin Reed. He's kind of an outsider in the band since he listens to a lot of old rock, unlike the others and their classical music. I'm pretty sure he just wants to play drums, not live by a piece of sheet music and a conductor."

I nod and move my eyes to the next location she points at, a set of steps and a banister beside a sparkly red table. Sitting on the steps are two girls in matching red Polo shirts, tan khakis, white tennis shoes, and the same thick black glasses as Kacey. Around both of their necks were inhalers on a chain. The two girls were reading out of textbooks, one being a Chemistry book and the other being History. On the step right behind them was a boy in a blue Polo, tan pants, greased down hair, and rectangular glasses. He's playing on a calculator while looking at the textbooks occasionally. Then leaning on the banister is a guy with shaggy hair, skinny jeans, and a maroon sweater. Instead of reading or calculating stuff, he's playing on a gaming device.

"Those are the Johnson twins on the steps, two of the freakiest girls you will ever lay eyes on. The one behind them is Billy Drescal, Brewster's most stuck-up nerd. He thinks he's all that because he skipped a grade. Then on the banister is Nelson Baxter. He's not really a nerd, just a guy with good grades. He sticks with the Science club because everyone else thinks he's weird.

Kacey points her hand to the sparkly red table beside the steps and says, "Then there are the Perfs, the girls who control everything and everyone at Brewster."

I look at the table to see four girls in designer clothes and way too much makeup. One of the girls is the chick from the hall.

"Molly Garfunkel is the one you're glaring at. She's the leader of the Perfs, kind of like our Regina George. Beside her is Grace, second-in-command. She's really sweet. The only reason she's a Perf is because she's Molly's best friend. Anyway, the Perfs handle all the cliques here. When you first get to Brewster, they classify you into a group you fit with. If you don't fit into one of the cliques, you just remain an outsider like me."

I turn to her with furrowed eyebrows and question, "What made you an outsider?"

She sighs and explains, "I accidentally ran into Molly on my first day here, so she made everyone hate me."

I nod. I've been here for less than half an hour, and I already hate this Molly girl. I look back at the Perf table and see three guys sitting down in the empty seats. Sliding in to the right of Molly is some guy with short brown hair, a flannel shirt, skinny jeans, and an ukulele strapped to his back. Wow, at least I won't be the only one who plays the uke.

Staring at the guy talking to Grace, I ask, "Who's he?"

Already knowing who I'm talking about, Kacey answers, "Zander Robbins. He's on the soccer team, so he's kind of a jock. All the girls fall for him because he can sing and stuff. Molly always tries to flirt with him, but he never falls for it."

While Kacey goes on about some jock named Dean, I zone off at Zander. He doesn't seem stuck-up or obnoxious like the others. Right as Kacey goes on about Dean's eyes, Zander looks up at me. At first he smiles, but then it falls to a smirk. When he winks, Molly turns from him to me. She narrows her eyes and whispers something to Grace. I roll my eyes and turn back to Kacey.

This should be good.

**Sorry that this wasn't that great for a first chapter. I apologize if there's a major amount of mistakes. It's around 2 AM, and I'm beat. Hope you guys like this story so far! Stevie meets Zander in the next chapter, Zevians, so don't worry. Be sure to review your thoughts!**

**Merry Christmas, baby! Or if you don't celebrate Christmas, happy holidays. :)**


	2. The One Where Stevie Meets Zander

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**A/N: **Thank you so much for all the kind reviews, guys! I'm really sorry that it's been a while since I've last updated. School has been pretty hectic and has taken up most of my time lately. Nevertheless, I'm back for the weekends. Quick replies?

**Ashley Scarlet: **Fanfiction veteran? Ha-ha, I love that!

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**MGHelene **& **xEmilyHeartsx**: This story is actually based off of the movie _Bratz_. I'm surprised people actually noticed. (:

**xHeyItsGilx: **Ha-ha, well stalk away. ;) I'll be waiting for some updates from you, Gilly Bean.

So, I made this chapter somewhat long. It's just my way of apologizing for not updating. Hope you enjoy!

**I do not own How to Rock.**

[Stevie]

As we walk out of the courtyard, Kacey asks, "Who do you have for first period?"

I slip my sunglasses onto my shirt while answering, "History with Mr. March."

She smiles brightly and exclaims, "So do I!"

She links her right arm with my left and starts jogging down the hall, dragging me with her. I keep my hand on top of my fedora hat, preventing it from falling off. After we turn some corners and bump into numerous people, Kacey finally stops in front of Room 101. She releases my arm and walks into the room, confidence oozing after her. I chuckle and follow her.

Written on the chalkboard at the front of the room is _PICK YOUR SEATS. _After she sees it, Kacey immediately rushes to the very back of the room and takes a seat in the last row. I laugh at her enthusiasm and sit at the desk to her right.

More students start coming into the classroom, filling in the empty seats. While Kacey starts rambling about things I'll like about New York, I notice that guy from the school band entering. Kevin, I think. He's about to sit down at a seat in the front when some stupid jocks shoo him off. So, he ended up in the seat to my right. I attempt to wave at him, but he keeps his eyes down at his desk. As Kacey starts talking about good restaurants in NY, I notice one of the "nerds" from the courtyard standing in the doorway. It's the one who was playing video games instead of studying. Nelson. He looks around for somewhere to sit, eventually choosing the empty seat in front of Kevin. At this point, the only available desks are a couple at the front and one in front of me.

As if on cue, two Perfs that Kacey was talking about earlier waltz in. They stand at the front of the classroom as if they're the rulers of the chessboard and we're pawns.

Seeing me staring at them, Kacey whispers, "Don't make eye contact with the Perfs, especially Molly."

I ignore her and narrow my eyes at them. The brunette, Molly, sits down at the desk Kevin was scared away from. Her friend, Grace, sits down to her right. Soon after, that Zander guy with the ukulele from the Perf table walked him. Almost immediately, he noticed me and smiled. Not a cocky smirk that most jocks do. A real, genuine smile. I would've smiled back if Kacey weren't giving us a suspicious look. Molly gestures for Zander to sit in the seat behind her, but he pretends to ignore her and walks toward my direction. As if he didn't just ditch the most popular girl in school, he sits down in front of me. Kacey immediately snaps her body back to her desk. I mentally laugh as Zander turns around to me.

He takes off his fedora hat and says, "I'm Zander, in case you were wondering. You must be Chris Baskara's sister Stevie."

I raise my eyebrows and question, "You know my brother?"

He nods with a small smile and explains, "He's my boss. I work at his auto repair shop."

Zander leans over a little so he's a bit closer and says, "Since you're new and all, maybe I could show you around and we could get to know each other."

I smirk and playfully ask, "What makes you think that I'd want anything to do with you?"

He chuckles, "Just a feeling."

To mess with him, I hunch over my desk and respond, "You see, _they_," I point towards the jocks at the front giving me flirty looks, "want to get to know me, too. How are you any different?"

He shrugs and states, "I care about you."

I scoff, "You barely even know me."

Zander laughs and replies, "Well, I care about _people_. Those guys? They only care about themselves."

I open my mouth to say something back, but the bell rings before I can. A man in his thirties with a mustache enters the room and sets his briefcase on the desk at the front.

He sits down in the chair behind the desk while saying, "I'm Mr. March, your History teacher. So, under the principal's request, we have to spend this class period introducing ourselves instead of actually learning."

Hoots and hollers go around the room. Even I crack a smile.

Mr. March rolls his eyes and continues, "We'll start off with learning each other's names. When I point to you, state your name and an interesting fact about yourself."

He extends his arm out and points to one of the jocks. "Prince Charming in the front, you go first."

The guy stands up and says, "I'm Justin Cole, and I'm rich."

Some girls swoon as he sits back down in his seat. Mr. March scoffs and moves his arm along to his right/my left.

"Betty and Veronica, you two are next."

I laugh at his reference while Molly stands up. She tosses her hair over her shoulder and says, "I'm Molly Garfunkel, and I'm the most popular girl in the school."

To my right, Kevin quietly snorts, "I doubt she can even spell 'popular'."

I smile at him and bite my bottom lip to stop myself from laughing.

Grace stands up as Molly sits down. "I'm Grace King, and I love pink!"

Some of the guys drool at her as she sits down, but a majority of the classroom laugh. Mr. March squints his eyes and looks around. He finally sets his sights towards my direction.

"Little Miss Trouble in the back."

I sigh and stand up. Everyone in the room turns to me, the Perfs with an evil glare in their eyes.

"Stevie Baskara, and…my parents kicked me out of the house."

Mr. March raises his eyebrows out of shock, but he shakes it off quickly while I sit down.

"Um….Tiny Guitar Dude beside her."

Zander chuckles and stands up. With a smug grin, he says, "I'm Zander Robbins, and," he sneaks a glance to me before turning back to Mr. March and adding, "I met this girl today, and she's absolutely great. She's beautiful and amazing and…I really like her."

Girls gush, guys scoff, and Mr. March rolls his eyes. Zander sits back down, winks at me, and looks back to the front of the room as if he didn't say anything. I softly smile at the back of his head and lean back in my chair.

**I'm really sorry if there are just a billion errors and if you were just bored to death with this chapter. My imagination and creativity has decided to not work with me today. Hope y'all liked it, though. Be sure to review your thoughts!(:**


	3. The One Where Stevie Meets Nelson

**A/N:** I am so extremely sorry that I haven't uploaded in such a long time. Honestly, I feel like the guiltiest person ever. Believe me, guys. I feel_ horrible_. Hopefully y'all don't hate me so much as to stop reading this story. If you didn't, thank you so much for your patience. Replies?

**AriZevie4EVER:** That seriously put a smile on my face. Thank you! I love hearing that something I write is realistic enough to be on the show. :]

**Vamplove218:** Trust me. Molly definitely sees Zevie forming. I wonder what she'll do about it…

**xEmilyHeartsx:** Thank you so much, Em! I'm so glad that you liked it. [:

**jellybean96:** Thank you! :D

**Ashley Scarlet:** Oh my goodness, you are just way too sweet. Thank you so incredibly much! You're words brought me to tears. :') You're amazing! And ha-ha, I literally just updated that "Bragging Section". Being perfectly honest, I never expect celebrities to reply to me or anything when I tweet them. To me, there's not an actual "trick" to catch their attentions. All celebrities are different and have their own way of interacting with their fans. :] (Congrats on the tweet from Ashley!)

**Hotpinkandpurple:** Oh my gosh, thank you! You, my friend, just made my day. I really appreciate it!

**Penguin Luver:** ZO's really busy, but I'll text her to check her reviews. M'kay? :)

**BlissfulRaven1504:** Just read your story. It seems great so far! You got the characters spot-on. [:

Thank you so much to everyone who showed some love in those little review boxes below! Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!

**I do not own How to Rock.**

[Stevie]

Once 1st period with Mr. March was over, students run out of the room as if they were in the Olympics. Kacey and I gathered our stuff and walked out of the room together.

As we were walking, she asked, "So, who do you have next?"

I quickly remember my schedule in my head and answer, "Drama with Mr. Winkler."

There goes yet another squeal from her. I laugh and say, "I'm assuming you have the same?"

With a bright beaming smile, she nods her head excitedly. I grin back at her enthusiasm.

Right when Kacey turns to lead me around the corner, a sharp banging sound echoes from down the hall. We turn around and see one of the jocks, Dean, I think, shoving that guy Nelson up against a locker. Behind him were two laughing jocks, the other jock Justin who was just standing there silently, Molly who was also snickering, and Grace who was leaning against the wall opposite of the lockers, looking down guiltily at her shoes.

Dean, with his grip on the collar of Nelson's red and navy blue Polo shirt, smirks and says, "Nice shirt, loser. Did your mommy pick it out for you?"

He slams Nelson against the lockers again, making him wince. I prepare to stomp over there and tell him off, but as I start moving, Zander walks out of Mr. March's classroom. He sees the scene just a few feet away from him unfold. I watch as he immediately marches over to them.

"Hey, knock it off, Dean."

Dean scoffs and turns his head around to the boy behind him. "Shove it, Robbins. This isn't your fight."

Zander rolls his eyes and replies, "This isn't going to be a fight at all. Put the guy down and leave him alone."

Molly stomps her foot and shouts, "Zander, just shut up! Can't you be a man for once?"

Dean huffs and turns around, letting go of Nelson in the process. Nelson immediately runs toward mine and Kacey's direction. He rushes past us and speeds down the next hall, a trail of terror behind him.

Kacey turns back to me and says, "I have to swing by my locker before second period, so I'll meet you in Drama, okay?"

I nod, and she skips off. I walk backwards to a set of lockers, stand behind them, and turn my attention back to down the hall.

Dean, now in Zander's face, tells him, "Listen, Robbins. You may be popular," he puts finger air quotes around popular, "but you're still a loser who wouldn't stand a chance in a fight with me. Take away how you look and your tiny guitar, and you're nothing."

Zander, obviously not giving up, takes a step toward Dean and responds, "You know what, Dean? Even without my looks or my ukulele, I'd still be a much better person than you are. Unlike you, I care about people, whether they're popular or not, and I'm not going to just sit back and watch you hurt them."

Dean prepares to shove Zander, but that Justin guy steps in between the two boys.

He interrupts, "Break it off, guys. We're gonna be late for class."

After a moment of silence, Dean scoffs and walks down the hall. Molly rolls her eyes and marches toward my direction, Grace following behind her.

She sees me and sneers, "What are you looking at, freak?"

She purposely shoves past me and stomps down the next hall. As Grace walks by me, she gives me a look of sympathy before catching up to Molly. Still standing down at the other end of the hall, Zander sighs and runs a hand through his hair. I shake my head and walk down the next hall. In the middle, I see a door with "DRAMA" in black stickers on the window.

* * *

Once I enter the Drama room, I see Kacey sitting on an orange couch to the right by a stage at the front. She sees me in the doorway and gestures me to come over. I softly smile and take a seat next to her. More students start coming in, including Justin, Zander, the Perfs, Kevin, and Nelson. About a minute after the bell rings, a man with dark hair walks into the classroom. He couldn't be any older than thirty years-old.

While walking to the stage where some students are seated on the edge of, he greets, "Good morning, class. I am Mr. Winkler, and I will be your Drama teacher for the year."

As he hops onto the stage, Kacey whispers, "Ooh, he's British!"

I quietly laugh and turn back to Mr. Winkler, who is now standing in the middle of the stage.

He instructs, "I want you to take a good look around this room. Look at each and every person around you."

Doing as told, I look around at everyone in the classroom. It looked like the cafeteria earlier this morning. Each group of similar people sitting together, whether it be on the bean bags or couches or the rug. It seemed like everyone only hung out with the people they thought they fit in with.

Mr. Winkler claps his hands, making everyone turn back to him, and continues, "These people you see will be with you for the next few years. They'll be your boyfriends, girlfriends, best friends, heartbreaks, and first loves. However, before they're any of those titles, they're strangers. Use the rest of this class period to get to know these strangers."

And with that, he walks toward a desk at the back of the classroom and sits down behind it. Everyone pretty much does the opposite of what Mr. Winkler said and only talked to people in their comfort zone. I roll my eyes and look around. In the corner of the classroom, Nelson was sitting on a neon pink bean bag chair. Everyone pretty much acted like he wasn't there. Since Kacey was awkwardly talking to Kevin, who was sitting on the couch beside her, I shrug and head over to Nelson. When I sit down next to him, he widens eyes just a bit, looking a little scared.

I smile and greet, "Hi, I'm Stevie."

He awkwardly mumbles, "Um, I'm Nelson."

H shakes his head and mumbles, "I'm sorry. It's just…Normally people outside of my nerd group don't talk to me. They think I'm a freak."

I chuckle and reply, "They think I'm a freak, too, so we can be freaks together."

To my surprise, he actually grins and loosens up. I listen as Nelson starts talking about his favorite classes and teachers and places in the school that he thinks I'd like. When he starts talking about how cool Mr. March is, I notice Zander on the other side of the room, sitting on the edge of the stage and talking to Justin. He sees me and smiles. I shake my head and turn back to Nelson.

* * *

Once the school bus drops me off at Chris's auto repair show, I walk inside as Chris is doing paperwork at his desk.

He stands up when he sees me and says, "Oh, hey. You actually made it out alive. Did you make any new friends?"

I bite my bottom lip and respond, "Yeah. I think I did."

**Hope you liked this chapter! I apologize if it wasn't all that great. I'm finishing this up at 3 AM. :/ By the way, is anyone else not getting emails from this site? Like when someone reviews your stories or you set a story on story alert and a new chapter is posted, you normally get emails about it? I haven't been getting those lately. I just wanted to wonder if it was just me. Oh, and is there a character you guys would like to see more of? I'm taking suggestions on whose point of view I should include in the next chapter. Oh, also…I'd love to get to know you amazing people, so mind reviewing your names? It feels kind of awkward just referring to y'all as your FF names. Mine is Kristina, by the way. :] Thanks for reading, and be sure to review! **

**P.S. If you guys ever want to talk to me or anything...**

**Twitter: "ThisIsMissKris_" and "inkheart4112"**

**Instagram: "thisismisskris_"**

**Or just a simple PM. I'd love to talk to you guys. :)**


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